Heaven rewards diligence, but there are always fairies plotting against me.

He was incredibly fast, and wherever he went, the black marble on the arena was corroded by the poisonous fog, making a hissing sound and emitting puffs of white smoke.

"What a terrifyingly potent poison!" The disciples below the stage retreated in horror.

Chu Chang's eyes narrowed.

He remembered Lin Ruoxue's warning; Zhao Wuji's body had indeed been altered by the demonic poison within him.

"Golden Geng Sword Technique, Breaking Army!"

Chu Chang unleashed a sword strike, the dazzling golden sword light attempting to tear apart the green mist.

However, the green mist mysteriously merged back together the instant it was split open.

Zhao Wuji's figure suddenly appeared behind Chu Chang, his two dark green ghost claws, carrying a chilling aura of death, piercing straight into Chu Chang's back.

"The Death Seal of the Great Ming King!"

This attack not only contains a vast amount of true essence, but also highly poisonous demonic death energy. Once caught, even a Qi Refining stage cultivator will instantly turn into blood.

"That's exactly what I've been waiting for!"

Chu Chang did not dodge; his Golden Geng True Essence surged wildly within him in that instant.

"Eight Desolate Demon-Suppressing Fist! Suppress the Demon!"

He suddenly turned around, and an indescribable, overwhelming power erupted from his fist.

That is a domineering fist intent specifically designed to subdue demons and evil spirits.

"boom!"

The golden and green forces collided violently in the air.

"ah!!!"

A piercing scream rang out.

The green poisonous mist on Zhao Wuji's hands melted away instantly upon contact with Chu Chang's pure Yang energy and domineering fist intent, just like snow meeting boiling oil.

"No! This is impossible! How could my Holy Poison Demon Art..."

Zhao Wuji was filled with terror. The bones in his hands were shattered by the punch, and he was forced to his knees. The demonic poison in his body began to backfire wildly, and his skin began to fester.

Chu Chang stood in front of him, looking down at him.

"Those who commit many unrighteous acts will surely perish."

Chu Chang said something in a low voice, then kicked out, sending Zhao Wuji flying off the stage.

Below the stage, several deacons from Tianxing Peak quickly stepped forward and carried Zhao Wuji, who was completely crippled and resembled a lump of mud, off the stage.

Although killing is forbidden in the Grand Competition, Chu Chang's punch has completely destroyed his cultivation, causing the demonic poison in his body to backfire, making it impossible for him to recover in this lifetime.

the other side.

Tie Zhan also defeated Lie Shan cleanly and decisively.

The final battle will unfold between the two monstrous body-refining prodigies from the outer sect.

Sunset.

The summit of Tianxuan Peak was stained a deep crimson.

The final and most anticipated battle of the outer sect competition has finally arrived.

"Chu Chang of Tianxuan Peak versus Tie Zhan of Tianxing Peak!"

On the ring, the two stood facing each other.

Tie Zhan is nearly two meters tall, resembling an iron-cast Arhat, exuding an aura of immense weight and indestructibility.

"Chu Chang, you are strong, worthy to be my opponent." Tie Zhan's voice was deep and thunderous. "However, my 'Indestructible Body of the Bright King' has been cultivated to the fourth level, Vajra Indestructible. Although your strength is strong, it cannot break through my defense."

"Is that so?" Chu Chang slowly clenched his right fist, dark golden light flowing along its tip. "Then let's see if your indestructible body is more formidable, or if my Demon-Suppressing Fist is more domineering!"

"Haha, that's great! Take this punch!"

Tie Zhan laughed loudly and took a step forward, causing the entire arena to tremble violently.

His iron-like fist, carrying overwhelming power, hurtled straight towards Chu Chang. This punch contained no superfluous techniques, only ultimate physical defense and pure physical strength.

"Eight Desolations Demon-Suppressing Fist! Mountains and Rivers Shatter!"

Chu Chang neither dodged nor evaded, and threw out a punch in return.

Two of the strongest body-refining monsters from the outer sect engaged in a primal and visually stunning hand-to-hand combat battle in the center of the arena.

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

The dull thuds of flesh colliding were incessant.

Each collision unleashed a violent storm of true energy. The incredibly hard obsidian arena began to crack inch by inch beneath their feet.

The disciples below the stage were thrilled, yet also felt a chill run down their spines. In this level of physical combat, even a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator would likely suffer a fracture instantly from a mere glancing blow.

After exchanging blows for dozens of rounds, the two retreated.

A trickle of blood escaped from the corner of Tie Zhan's mouth, but the fighting spirit in his eyes reached its peak: "Exhilarating! Again! Manifestation of the Bright King, Immovable as a Mountain!"

boom!

Tie Zhan clasped his hands together, and a towering, several-zhang-tall black phantom of a Mingwang rose from the ground behind him. In that instant, his body turned pure gold, and his defensive power increased several times over.

"Chu Chang, take my strongest attack, the Bright King's Demon-Suppressing Seal!"

As Tie Zhan unleashed his palm strike, the illusory image of the Ming King in the void also struck out with a palm, bringing boundless pressure that swept across the sky.

Chu Chang looked up at the huge golden handprint, his fighting spirit burning fiercely in his eyes.

"In that case, let's settle this with one decisive move."

He slowly closed his eyes, and the image of the golden giant shattering thousands of demons with a single punch in his mind became completely clear.

"Using the physical body as a furnace, true essence as firewood, and integrating the great forces of the eight directions..."

"Eight Desolate Demon-Suppressing Fist, Second Form! Heaven and Earth Shatter!"

Chu Chang suddenly opened his eyes.

In that instant, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a radius of several miles seemed to be summoned, frantically converging towards his right fist. His entire right arm transformed into pure gold at that moment, dazzling as a blazing sun.

He threw a punch.

"roar!!!"

A faint roar of gods and demons echoed throughout the heavens and earth.

A golden beam of light, hundreds of feet thick, shot upwards against the heavens and slammed into the illusory image of the Bright King.

"Boom!!!"

A terrifying explosion rang out in mid-air, and the blinding light made everyone close their eyes.

The violent aftershocks tore countless cracks in the barrier surrounding the arena.

After a long while, the light faded.

On the arena.

The phantom image of the Ming King behind Tie Zhan has completely disappeared.

His golden skin faded, and he knelt on one knee, exhausted, panting heavily.

At his chest, a dark golden fist intent was contained but not released; with a mere thought from Chu Chang, it could completely destroy his indestructible body.

Before him stood Chu Chang with his hands behind his back. Although his clothes were somewhat torn, his demeanor remained calm and composed.

"I... lost."

Tie Zhan gave a wry smile, looking at Chu Chang with a hint of admiration: "Your strength... has surpassed the limits of humanity. You truly deserve to be number one this year."

The entire room fell silent for a moment.

Then.

"oh!!!"

A deafening roar of cheers echoed throughout the entire Tianxuan Peak.

"First! Chu Chang is number one!"

"A new number one in the outer sect has been born!"

On the high platform.

The Grand Elder waved his long sleeves, and his resounding voice echoed in all directions:

"The Outer Sect Competition has concluded! First place goes to Chu Chang of Tianxuan Peak! He is granted the status of an Inner Sect disciple, one entry into the Weapon Cleansing Pool, and three Qi Tempering Pills!"

Countless colorful streaks of light fell from the sky, illuminating the young man in black standing in the center of the arena.

Chu Chang raised his head and looked towards the direction of the main peak, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

"Senior sister, inner sect, I'm here."

…………

…………

…………

The hustle and bustle of the outer gate competition gradually dissipated in the afterglow of the setting sun.

However, for the entire Divine Sword Sect, a rising star named "Chu Chang" has already broken through the solidified hierarchy in an almost savage manner, entering the sight of all the higher-ups.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

During these three days, Chu Chang moved out of the noisy outer sect disciples' residence.

As the top-ranked player in the outer sect competition and a newly promoted elite of the inner sect, he was assigned an extremely quiet, independent cave dwelling halfway up Tianxuan Peak, where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was twice as abundant.

"call……"

Inside the cave, Chu Chang sat cross-legged and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

The white energy arrows condensed and did not disperse, shooting straight out three feet away, striking the hard stone wall with a "crackling" sound.

"Although I won first place in the outer sect competition, my battles with Tie Zhan and Zhao Wuji also exposed my weakness of insufficient true essence foundation."

Chu Chang looked inward at himself, observing the dark golden true essence in his dantian that was almost liquefied but was always just a step short, and secretly pondered in his heart.

"The Eight Desolate Demon-Suppressing Fist and the Golden Geng Sword Technique place an immense burden on my body. At my current cultivation level, it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to unleash these two divine skills with complete freedom. I must break through to the Foundation Condensation Realm as soon as possible!!"

Thump, thump, thump.

A soft, rhythmic knocking sounded on the door.

Chu Chang stood up and opened the stone door of the cave with a flick of his sleeve. Sure enough, Lin Ruoxue, dressed in white as snow and as aloof as ever, stood quietly under the moonlight.

"Senior Sister." Chu Chang stepped aside and welcomed Lin Ruoxue in.

Lin Ruoxue entered the cave, her cool gaze sweeping over Chu Chang. Her previously tense face relaxed slightly, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips.

"It seems that in these three days, you not only haven't slacked off, but have actually solidified your cultivation at the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining Realm. That Tie Zhan guy's punch is not something to be taken lightly."

"I must thank you for your reminder, Senior Sister. If I hadn't known that Tie Zhan had mastered the 'Indestructible Body of the Bright King,' and hadn't used all my strength to unleash the Qiankun Break at the last moment, the outcome would have been uncertain." Chu Chang smiled and handed over a cup of tea.

Lin Ruoxue took the teacup but didn't drink it. Instead, she looked at Chu Chang with a solemn expression: "I've come today to tell you something important. Tomorrow, you will go to the Cleansing Pool. It is one of the sect's oldest forbidden areas, and it is the good fortune you deserve as the champion of the competition."

"Is there anything special about the Cleansing Pool?" Chu Chang asked curiously.

"The Cleansing Pool, on the surface, is a sacred place where generations of inner sect sages and supreme elders, before their deaths, threw their life's weapons into it, using their remaining sword intent and saber energy to temper the weapons of their descendants." Lin Ruoxue's voice was extremely low, even using true essence to transmit her voice, "But my master once secretly investigated and found that the source of the Cleansing Pool is connected to an ancient spiritual vein deep underground. Moreover..."

She paused, a hint of apprehension flashing in her beautiful eyes: "The high-ranking person who cultivates demonic arts behind the scenes, his secluded meditation cave, is located in a secret passage directly below the Cleansing Pool. The weapon aura and pure spiritual energy that the Cleansing Pool has accumulated over the years are very likely the natural barrier he used to conceal the leakage of his own demonic energy."

"Therefore, when you enter the pool to temper your weapon tomorrow, remember not to be greedy. If you sense any unusual aura, immediately withdraw, understand?"

Hearing Lin Ruoxue's words of advice, Chu Chang felt a warmth in his heart and nodded emphatically: "Don't worry, Senior Sister, I understand."

After seeing Lin Ruoxue off, Chu Chang stood at the entrance of the cave, gazing at the massive silhouette of the main peak hidden in the clouds, his fists clenching slightly.

"The higher-ups of the demonic arts... the Cleansing Pool... it seems this trip is destined to be anything but peaceful."

…………

…………

…………

The next morning.

As dawn broke, Chu Chang, led by an inner sect steward, arrived at a forbidden area on the back mountain of the main peak.

This is a huge canyon, surrounded by jagged rocks and barren land.

The void was filled with a sharp, piercing aura that stung the skin, and the faint sounds of clashing swords and spears echoed in the ears, disturbing the mind.

"Junior Brother Chu, the Cleansing Pool is just ahead."

The steward stopped before a towering stone archway, a hint of awe in his eyes: "The Cleansing Pool is filled with crisscrossing sword energy and extremely heavy malevolent aura. With your current cultivation level, you can only last for three hours at most at the pool's edge. Once those three hours are up, if you don't emerge, your physical body will be pulverized by the millennia-old malevolent aura accumulated within. Go, throw your weapon into the pool, and what kind of opportunity you gain is entirely up to fate."

"Thank you for your guidance, senior brother."

Chu Chang bowed slightly, took a deep breath, and stepped across the stone archway.

hum!

The moment you step through the stone gate, the scene before you changes dramatically.

A dark red pool, hundreds of feet in size, came into view.

The pool of water was incredibly viscous, resembling boiling blood plasma, with bubbles constantly rising to the surface.

Countless broken weapons were stuck in the pool.

Some were just broken handles, others were rusted, but every single weapon exuded an extremely terrifying and malevolent aura.

The malevolent aura of countless weapons gathered above the pool, vaguely transforming into illusory primordial beasts that let out silent roars.

"What a terrifying aura of slaughter!"

In that instant, the Golden Geng True Essence within Chu Chang's body surged wildly, erecting a golden protective shield over his body. The invisible sword energies struck the shield, producing a series of crisp clanging sounds.

He walked to the edge of the pool and took off the ordinary iron sword that had been with him for a long time from his waist.

This sword had accompanied him through countless life-and-death battles and had already begun to show signs of spirituality, but its material was ultimately just ordinary iron. In his battles with Duan Hong and Tie Zhan, the blade was already covered with fine cracks.

"Go, old friend. Whether you can transform yourself depends on today."

Chu Chang gently stroked the sword, then raised his arm.

call out!

The iron sword sliced ​​through the sky and landed with extreme precision in the center of the weapon-washing pool.

Gududu!

The viscous red pool water instantly swallowed the iron sword.

Immediately afterwards, the water in the pool within a radius of several feet began to boil violently, and countless streams of pure military energy and sword intent that were floating in the pool surged wildly toward Chu Chang's iron sword like sharks smelling blood.

Watching the iron sword gradually sink to the bottom of the pool, Chu Chang sat down cross-legged.

While using his divine sense to guide the iron sword to be tempered at the bottom of the pool, he also practiced the breathing technique of the Eight Desolations Demon Suppression Fist.

boom!

In an instant, the almost tangible liquid spiritual energy in the Cleansing Pool surged wildly into Chu Chang's body through his pores.

The spiritual energy here is so pure!

Although it contained a violent and malevolent aura, it posed no threat to Chu Chang, whose physical body was incredibly strong and whose true essence was tempered by the Tai Xuan Sword Intent. Instead, it became the best catalyst for honing his true essence.

The Eight Desolations Demon-Suppressing Fist within Chu Chang's body was circulating at an increasingly faster speed.

The dark golden true essence in his dantian, which had already reached saturation, began to be compressed to its limit again under immense pressure.

At this moment, the barrier of the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining Realm began to loosen.